Panem High
by AsterousBabs
Summary: All the characters are  relatively  normal high school students. I brought some characters back from the dead. I love Finnick :  KatnissxPeeta GalexMadge FinnickxAnnie Characters are OOC Temp Hiatus
1. Intro

**A/n yay my first hunger games fic! I need to say this now and get it out of my system before I start the story (don't judge me or give me crap about this) JOSH HUTCHERSON IS TOTALLY HOT! Ok I'm done with that on with the story!**

**Intro**

**Katniss POV**

Hi, my name is Katniss Everdeen. I'm 16 years old and I attend Panem High School as a sophomore. I have a mother, a little sister named Primrose (or Prim for short), and my father is dead. I'm captain of the archery team (yeah that exists) and I'm in the choir. That covers my extracurricular activities. I'm not exactly popular. My best friend is Gale Hawthorne, senior and co-captain of the archery team. Pretty much my only other friend is Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter. At school I'm part of the District 12 Seam group.

The cliques at Panem High are Districts 1-12 and the Capitol. The Seam is a part of District 12, the not as wealthy part. Your group is based on where you live, how much money you have, and who your family is. As you go farther down the list the groups get poorer, Capitol being the richest and 12 being the poorest.

The Capitol Clique is the rich snobs whose parents are government people. They are the "popular" group everyone hates but wants to be a part of. They are a major freak show really. They all have their skin and hair dyed and where the craziest outfits and make up.

District 1 is also rich but not as much as the Capitol and their families all make luxury items. They are pretty mean, like slit your throat mean.

The District 2 group is all police officers' kids. They also make weapons so it isn't always that safe to be around them.

District 3 is the techno geeks.

District 4 is where the fishermen and their families live. All the kids are natural swimmers and they tend to be good looking. They spend a lot of time at the beach, which is close to where most of them live, and basically make up the whole swim team. The school playboy, Finnick Odair, is from 4 but he pretty much switches groups whenever he wants. He's a senior and the captain of the swim team. He is easily the most attractive guy in the school. He has a natural tan, a swimmer's body, longish bronze hair that's always messy but good looking. Apparently his best feature is his eyes which are the exact shade of green as the sea. I personally am not attracted to him.

Everyone is District 5 has weird pets. They're all like mutated and weird.

All the parents of District 6 are doctors and nurses. The kids have a habit of doing drugs and getting addicted.

District 7 is full of kids whose parents do something with wood.

District 8 are the more fashionable people because their parents make and design clothes **(a/n technically district 8 is textiles but it's close enough)**.

District 9 kids and their parents, especially the boys, are hunters. They make up a good portion of the archery team.

District 10's families all own some kind of livestock.

District 11 is made up of farm kids.

And now we have finally arrived at District 12, the poorest district. There are two parts of 12, the merchant's kids and the Seam kids. The Seam is the kids of coal miners, the poorest of the poor. Gale and I are Seam and proud. It's hard to explain but people from the Seam have a certain pride that makes them tend to reject help. I have a lot of Seam pride. Madge is District 12 but she could be Capitol if she wanted. She once told me she couldn't take the way they talked, dressed, and the way they did pretty much everything.

I almost forgot! There are also the Victors. They are higher up than the Capitol. It's hard to become a Victor, no one besides the current Victors knows how. If you do manage to become a Victor you know right away. The other Victors invite you to join them. No one says no to a Victor.

Now that you know how the school works it's actually time to go. Kill me now.

**A/n tada no flames please**


	2. Chapter 1

**a/n hello fanfiction I'm going to Boston (my fave city) soon so I'll be doing a lot of writing in the car. I would like to acknowledge my first reader (for this story), ****ohmygodpeeta**** thanks for reading! **

**Chapter 1 **

**First Day**

**Katniss POV**

**(I'm skipping everything until she's walking to school)**

I knocked on the front door of Gale's house and impatiently waited for him to come out. If he didn't hurry up we were going to be late for our first day back to school. After what seemed like an eternity he finally came out.

"Hey Catnip! Ready for the new school year?" he asked cheerfully.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" I screamed at him. When we first met and he asked my name I had whispered it so instead of Katniss he heard Catnip. It had officially become my name when this ugly stray cat started following me looking for food. The worst part was my little sister insisted on _keeping _the cat which she named Buttercup, saying that his gross yellowish color was the same color as the flower.

We joked around as we made our way to the school and got our schedules.

**Name: Katniss Everdeen**

**Grade: Sophomore, 10**

**Locker #: 20334**

**Homeroom: 1250, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy **

**1****st**** Period: History**

**2****nd**** Period: Science**

**Locker Break**

**3****rd**** Period: Music**

**4****th**** Period: Geometry 2 (a/n I don't know what math class you take in 10****th**** grade)**

**Lunch**

**5****th**** Period: P.E.**

**Locker Break**

**6****th****: Study Hall/Free Period**

**7****th****: English**

**(a/n yes I am aware I didn't put any teacher names or classrooms but I didn't feel like it so DEAL WITH IT! Thank you)**

As I was studying my schedule I failed to notice that Madge had come over to me to compare schedules.

"Oh look we have Math, English, and home room together!" she said excitedly.

"Cool!" I replied. We quickly went to our lockers and headed to home room. When I closed my locker I saw that my locker neighbor had arrived and recognized the tall, muscular, blonde haired boy without seeing his face.

"Hello Peeta" I said politely. I had only spoken to Peeta Mellark a few times before but he seemed nice and he was District 12. His dad's a baker. He's a junior but that's pretty much everything I know about him. **(A/n I know Peeta and Katniss are the same age but it's part of the plot)**

"Um, hi Katniss" he mumbled seemingly nervous. I don't know why he would be nervous around me, I'm nothing special. He must have been nervous about the new school year.

Madge and I scurried into home room right as the bell rang but it turned out it didn't matter. We could have danced in late wearing nothing but grass skirts and coconut bikinis and our teacher wouldn't have noticed. We had Haymitch Abernathy for home room. He was a Victor in his day and is a known drunk. We took seats in the back and surveyed the room. Home room isn't really organized in any specific way so there were all grades and all districts there. There was Finnick Odair chatting with a few Capitol girls who were hanging on his every word like he was a genius. I recognized Gloss and Cashmere Tanner, both Victors from 1. Annie Cresta, a junior, was quietly sitting in the back of the room and I could have sworn I saw Finnick looking at her every once and a while. I couldn't help but wonder why there were so many Victors in my homeroom after I saw Johanna Mason, junior, arguing with another District 7 girl. I saw Peeta with some of the other non-Seam District 12 kids sitting in the front. I heard the door creak open and my friend Cinna and his girlfriend Portia walked in. I waved to them and they came over to sit with us. Cinna is amazing; he's one of the only not snobby Capitol kids. He's also an amazing designer. He made me promise to let him design my prom dress next year. Portia is the same way, they design together a lot which is actually how they met.

The bell rang. I collected my books and headed towards History


	3. Chapter 2

**A/n hello. Before I continue I want to just mention a couple of things that are criticized in the last chapter. Gale is more cheerful in the books because since it takes place in the present the capitol isn't as bad as in the books, there aren't any hunger games where people kill each other, and even though he's poor he's not as poor as he is in the books. All the characters are a bit happier and since Katniss doesn't risk her life and focus on keeping her family alive she is more aware of other people and more aware of Peeta. **

**Me: Hi everyone!**

**Peeta: Hello**

**Katniss: grumble**

**Me: she's just a bit grumpy ignore her. Peeta, tell them the news.**

**Peeta: all the previous chapters have been reposted.**

**Me: Katniss do the disclaimer**

**Katniss: Ugh, IamAthena doesn't own the hunger games**

**Chapter 2**

**Peeta POV (same chapter as before just in Peeta's POV)**

**READ THE AUTHORS NOTE UP THAT!**

**ARE YOU READING IT?**

**READ IT!**

_I reached over and pulled her face up to look at me. I looked deeply into her eyes and tilted my head. She leaned in until our lips met. We broke apart and she moaned, "Peeta…"_

"GET UP YOU LAZY BUM!" Dammit

I groaned and rolled out of bed. My mother (or as I like to call her 'The Woman Who Owns Me') **(a/n I frequently call my mom this) **was standing over my bed, fuming.

"Get your lazy ass out of bed and into the shop!" she ordered me before stomping out of my room to bang on my brother's door. I should really start locking my door at night. Maybe I should introduce myself.

I'm Peeta Mellark. I have two older brothers, Conrad and Jason. Jason graduated high school last year and Conrad is starting his senior year while I'm starting my junior year. I'm on the football team just like my brothers and dad were/are. **(a/n I know it's really random) **I'm not too bad, I built up a lot of muscle carrying giant sacks of flour and working in the bakery. Last year I was RB (running back) but this year I'm trying out for quarter back. Jason was the quarter back but since he's gone they need to fill the spot. Most likely a senior will get it but it's worth a shot. I love art and I like to call myself an artist. I'm in love with a girl that doesn't even know I exist. In school I'm part of "District 12". My dad is a baker. Yes, I know my name is hilarious. I was unconsciously named after a type of bread and my dad is a baker. My brothers give me so much crap about it it's not even funny anymore. Every day before and after school Conrad and I are expected to help in the store. My mom is not the nicest person in the world. She's more like our boss than our mother. My dad on the other hand, is kind to everyone. We all live above the bakery.

I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a dark blue muscle shirt. I was about to go downstairs to start icing the cakes and cookies when my dad stopped me.

"We'll all go down in a bit, have some breakfast." He said as he pushed me towards my usual seat at the table. There was a plate stacked high with pancakes covered in whipped cream at my place and my brothers were already eating. As I started to cut my pancakes I spaced out and started to think about _her_. Her beautiful voice, the complicated way she always braided her hair, her gorgeous gray eyes… I was snapped out of my reverie when I tasted my "pancakes" Jason and Conrad were cracking up. I used my fork to scrape away the whipped cream and discovered their _hilarious _joke.

"PEETA IS A CANNIBAL!" Jason shouted. They covered pita bread with whipped cream and I was so spaced out that I had failed to notice. Haha, I'm a cannibal because I'm Peeta and I'm eating pita bread. They are comic geniuses (note my sarcasm).

Before I could say anything my mother came in and chased us into the bakery. Sighing, I walked over to the decoration table and started icing cakes. Ever since my parents discovered I was creative and artistic I was in charge of decorating.

"Hey Peeta" I heard Conrad call. I turned around and was greeted with a handful of flour in my face. Jason and Conrad continued to throw flour at me until I looked like a ghost. They love teasing me. It comes with being the youngest. I quickly glanced at the clock. If I hurried I had just enough time to shower before school. Without a word I ran upstairs, leaving a white trail behind me.

After my shower I put on a clean pair of jeans and my favorite orange t-shirt. I snuck downstairs and hoped I could get out without anyone seeing me,

"PEETA!" I failed.

"Why were you upstairs when you were supposed to be in the bakery?" my mother asked angrily.

I told her what happened and received a smack.

"Next time finish the cakes first" she said before storming off. I grabbed my letterman jacket **(letterman jackets are hot) **and headed out before she could come back.

On my way to school I saw _her. _She was walking and joking with Gale Hawthorne. I immediately felt insanely jealous. Apparently they are really close friends, maybe more. He's a senior and he lives in the Seam like Katniss. They have so much in common that I don't stand a chance against him.

I felt relieved when they got to school and went separate ways. I walked into school and was suddenly tackled to the ground.

**(a/n since I know a lot of you will skip the a/n at the beginning I need to tell you that I reposted the other chapters so there are no games at all)**

"Dude are you ready for the new season?" someone said. They got off of me and I looked up to see my best friend, Noah Lexton, grinning at me. **(a/n I love the name Noah) **Noah is also a junior and on the football team. We've been best friends for as long as I can remember. Even longer than I've loved _her. _His family owns the butcher shop. He's the class clown and can make friends with pretty much anyone. Even the Victors and the Capitols. In fact, when he isn't hanging out with me (though he usually is with me) he hangs out with Conrad (who is pretty popular) and Finnick Odair. Every guy wants to be Finnick and every girl wants to be with him. Not only is he (apparently) attractive, he's a Victor. **(a/n I know I'm repeating but I just wanted to add something about him in Peeta's POV) **I don't really have a problem with him. I've never been jealous of him either. _She _has no interest in him. He can have all the girls in the school for all I care just not _her._

"I grabbed your schedule for you," Noah said, not waiting for my answer to his previous question, "we have home room, P.E., study hall, and English together."

I scanned my schedule quickly.

**Name: Peeta Mellark**

**Grade: Junior, 11**

**Locker #: 20335**

**Homeroom: 1250, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy**

**1st Period: Science**

**2nd Period: Geometry 2**

**Locker Break**

**3rd Period: Art**

**4th Period: History**

**Lunch**

**5th Period: P.E.**

**Locker Break**

**6th: Study Hall/Free Period**

**7th: English**

"Oh great, we have the drunk again" I grumbled. Haymitch Abernathy was known for being drunk, _all the time._ Noah laughed,

"This is good! We don't even have to show up to home room if we don't want to. He won't notice if we miss it"

"Yeah" I say, halfheartedly as I turn away and walk to my locker.

_20358…20344…20331…20335, there it is! Holy shit! _

I reached my locker and saw that there was someone at the locker next to it. Not just anyone. _She_ was my locker neighbor. _She _is Katniss Everdeen. I've loved her since I was six and she was 5. My father told me the story about how he had loved her mom but she loved a man from the Seam (Katniss' father). She was wearing a red plaid dress and had her hair in two braids. It was love at first sight…for me anyway. She didn't even know I existed, or so I thought.

"Hello Peeta" she said. I was so shocked she even knew my name that I could barely get out a response.

"Um, hi Katniss" I managed to stutter nervously. Great, she finally acknowledges me and I can barely talk to her! I hope she didn't notice my nervousness. Maybe she'll chalk it up to new school year jitters.

I watched her and her friend, Madge Undersee, hurry off to homeroom. Then something occurred to me. How had she gotten the locker next to mine? Lockers are organized by homeroom and, within that, alphabetically. Homerooms are mixed grades but E is nowhere near M. As I pondered this, Noah walked up holding a few books.

"You're welcome" he said

"For what?" I asked

"Your locker buddy" he said smirking, "I had our lockers switched so she'd have the one next to yours. Am I an amazing best friend or what?"

Now it all made sense, part of the reason Noah and I were good friends was that we were always thrown together. Everything in school is organized alphabetically so Lexton and Mellark are always close together. Noah was one of the only people I had told about Katniss. He was pretty supportive and tried to force us together often.

We took our time getting to homeroom knowing Haymitch, er, Mr. Abernathy wouldn't care. We sat in the front with a couple other 12 kids. I looked around to see who else was in my homeroom. There were a surprising number of Victors there. Finnick Odair, surrounded by Capitol girls, kept glancing at Annie Cresta who was sitting quietly in the corner. Gloss and Cashmere were talking to each other in hushed tones for some unknown reason. Johanna Mason was arguing with someone as usual. Of course there was Katniss. She was sitting in the back with Madge, Cinna Charme, and Portia Heely. **(A/n random last names.) **Cinna and Portia had come in late, not that it was noticed by our supposed teacher. I'd never talked to Cinna but I kind of knew Portia. She was one of the few Capitols who's not a snob. I'd heard the same about Cinna. They're both in my year and I know they design clothes together. I'm pretty sure they're going out too but I'm not completely sure.

The bell rang and Noah and I were the first out the door. It wasn't that we wanted to get to class faster but we were simply the closest to the door. I was vaguely aware of Noah talking to me but I tuned him out. I was busy watching Katniss. I snapped out of my trance and said goodbye to Noah. We separated, he was on his way to History and I was going to Science. Fun…not.


	4. Character Schedules

Katniss' Schedule

**Name: Katniss Everdeen**

**Grade: Sophomore, 10**

**Locker #: 20334**

**Homeroom: 1250, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy **

**1st Period: History**

**2nd Period: Science**

**Locker Break**

**3rd Period: Music**

**4th Period: Geometry 2 **

**Lunch**

**5th Period: P.E.**

**Locker Break**

**6th: Study Hall/Free Period**

**7th: English**

Peeta's Schedule

**Name: Peeta Mellark**

**Grade: Junior, 11**

**Locker #: 20335**

**Homeroom: 1250, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy**

**1st Period: Science**

**2nd Period: Trigonometry**

**Locker Break**

**3rd Period: Art**

**4th Period: History**

**Lunch**

**5th Period: P.E.**

**Locker Break**

**6th: Study Hall/Free Period**

**7th: English**

Noah's Schedule

**Name: Noah Lexton**

**Grade: Junior, 11**

**Locker #: 20321**

**Homeroom: 1250, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy**

**1st Period: History**

**2nd Period: Tech. Ed.**

**Locker Break**

**3rd Period: Trigonometry **

**4th Period: Science**

**Lunch**

**5th Period: P.E.**

**Locker Break**

**6th: Study Hall/Free Period**

**7th: English**

Madge's Schedule

**Name: Madge Undersee**

**Grade: Sophomore, 10**

**Locker #: 20343**

**Homeroom: 1250, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy **

**1st Period: Science**

**2nd Period: History**

**Locker Break**

**3rd Period: P.E.**

**4th Period: Geometry 2**

**Lunch**

**5th Period: Study Hall/Free Period**

**Locker Break**

**6th: Home Ec.**

**7th: English**


	5. Chapter 3

**a/n hey just in case you ignored everything from before I reposted the other chapters so there are no games**

**Chapter 3**

**Katniss' POV**

I walked into History and was unhappy to see that my teacher was Mr. Chaff. **(a/n there are no last names for most of the other victors so Chaff is now his last name) **He's apparently a good friend of Mr. Abernathy's and is also often drunk. There is a difference between him and Mr. Abernathy. Mr. Chaff is friendlier, maybe a little too friendly. He and Mr. Abernathy were both Victors when they went to Panem High. Before Mr. Chaff could notice me I slipped into a seat on the other side of the room next to the window.

Once all the seats were filled Mr. Chaff made us all stand again.

"Thanks for picking your seats kids, but I have a seating chart already" he said a bit loudly.

As he went through the seating chart, I was surprised to find that it wasn't in alphabetical order. It didn't seem to be in _any _kind of order. **(a/n I just realized that since Johanna is in their homeroom she would be between Noah and Peeta with the lockers but just forget that) **It turned out that there was no point in me changing seats. My assigned seat was the same as the seat I took when I came in. I sat down and looked at the person sitting next to me. He looked familiar but I couldn't figure out why.

"Hi, I'm Noah Lexton" he said, turning to me.

"Um, hi, Katniss Everdeen" I replied, trying to place him

"I know who you are" he said mysteriously

"Um…where are you from?" I asked

"District 12" he said simply

"Oh, that's why you look familiar. You aren't Seam though…how do I know you?" I felt rude asking but I was really curious.

"Haha, no I'm not Seam. I was at your locker earlier; my best friend is Peeta Mellark."

Finally, I recognized him. He was with Peeta whenever I saw him, which wasn't very often. Once I thought about it I remembered walking by him that morning. I was walking to homeroom with Madge and he had been walking the opposite direction, to Peeta I now knew.

"Oh" was all I said.

"Do you know Peeta?" he asked smiling for a brief second

"Uh yeah, kind of, he seems like a nice guy" I said.

"Yeah he is, unless you're playing football against him" Noah said

"Oh I didn't know he played football" I said absentmindedly

"Yeah we both do. Peeta's probably gonna be quarterback this year."

"Oh, that's cool"

We talked for the rest of class. Mr. Chaff didn't do anything besides give us seats. Noah mentioned Peeta often but I probably mentioned Gale a lot too. It's hard to tell someone about yourself without talking about your best friend.

**Noah's POV**

I spent most of History talking to Katniss. Boy would Peeta be jealous if he knew I sat next to Katniss. Not that he would need to be. She's nice but she's not really my type. I mentioned Peeta as often as I could. She talked about Gale Hawthorne almost as much. Peeta was not going to be happy about that. The good news (for Peeta) was that when Katniss talked about him, she talked about him like he was her brother. She didn't seem to have any romantic interest in him. She also didn't seem to have much interest in Peeta. She'd come around eventually.

The bell rang and we all filed out of the room. I quickly looked at my schedule. Tech Ed. With Mr. Beetee, I could tell this class would be interesting.

I slowly made my way to the Tech Ed room (basically the basement). I was happy to see that a few of my friends were in the same class. (I'm friends with almost everybody so it wasn't exactly a surprise)

"Noah!" someone called. I spun around my friend's famous green eyes.

"Hey Fin" I said as we gave each other one of those high fives that turns into a chest bump/half hug things all guys do. **(a/n is there a name for that?)**

"Ready for class with Volts?" he asked suppressing a smile as he said the nickname the Victors had given him. He was known for his abundant knowledge of electrical devices. He often electrocutes himself so the Victors call him Volts. They are the only people in the school that could get away with nicknaming a teacher and make fun of them.

Class went by pretty uneventfully. Volts just showed us the machines and went over the class rules. Afterwards I found Peeta and told him about my conversations with Katniss. The rest of the day went pretty fast. Peeta and I headed for the locker room right after English. Even though it was the first day of school football tryouts were starting. Since we were on the team last year our spots on the team were assured but there could be a few position changes. Peeta wanted to be quarter back this year and he probably would be.

While we waited for the coach on the field, Peeta and I threw a ball back and forth. I quickly looked around. There were other tryouts going on at the same time. Cheerleading on the sidelines of the football field, baseball over the hill on the baseball field, soccer in the field surrounded by the track, swim team (obviously) in the indoor pool, and archery right next to us. While most guys (including myself) were distracted by the cheerleaders, Peeta was watching the archery team. Katniss was captain of the archery team and the best shot in the state.

Suddenly I heard the sharp _toot _of a whistle, "Ok ladies gather around!" Coach Brutus shouted.

He explained how tryouts were going to work this year. We would form two teams and play a game. Whichever person was best at a certain position would get it. It was pretty simple. Plus it gave the cheerleaders practice and someone to cheer for in the tryouts.

As we started the game I noticed all the teams around us watching. Football is big in Panem. Peeta must have noticed that a certain archery team captain was watching. He was on fire! He was amazing and I got the feeling it was because Katniss was watching. Our team won the game by a landslide. The coach promised to have the cuts posted in a few days ad told us to hit the showers.

"You were on fire man!" I told Peeta as we walked home.

"I was okay, you did pretty well." He said blushing.

"Yeah, I would have done better if there was someone watching that I wanted to impress like you" I said slyly.

He blushed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"So you don't care if Katniss saw you?" I asked

"Nope" he said, obviously lying.

"So I guess you also don't care that she's on her way over here, right?"

"No-wait, what?"

He looked around and saw Katniss heading our way across the school's front lawn.

"Hi guys" she said as she walked up.

"Sup?" I replied coolly

"Um h-hi Katniss" Peeta stammered.

"You were really good today" she complimented him.

"Th-thanks. The archery team looks pretty good this year." He responded

"Thanks, I can't wait for Sports Week! I hope you get the position you wanted."

"Haha me too, you'll have to come to a game." He said finally able to speak without stuttering.

"Maybe I'll bring my sister, she likes school events. See you tomorrow" she said before turning down the street.

"Bye!" we called after her.

After a few moments I broke the silence, "That was interesting"

"Yeah it was, I think that's the most she's ever said to me" Peeta said dreamily **(a/n I am aware that this is OOC no need for harsh reviews) **

"Thanks for including me in that conversation by the way." I said jokingly

"Like you even had anything to say to her!" he shot back

"Whatever, I'll see you later."

"Ok bye" he said waving.


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Katniss' POV**

**Time Skip**

Finally, it was here, Sports Week. Every year there is a week where there is a major sporting event each day of the week. That includes an archery competition, swim meet, baseball game, soccer game, and of course, the homecoming game. **(a/n I realize that all of that couldn't happen in the same season but just go along with it for the story, kay?) **One of the best parts of Sports Week is no homework. At the end of the week, the student body votes for which team did the best and which game was the best. The winning team gets their picture on Panem High's Wall of Fame. An added perk is that a majority of the Victors were/are Captains of Sports Week winning teams. Monday would be the archery competition, Tuesday was the swim meet, Wednesday the baseball game, Thursday the local news channel interviewed the Captains, and Friday was the Homecoming football game and the dance. The thought of football brought Peeta into my mind. I had been thinking about him a lot recently. I don't know why. Whenever he talked to me or I thought about him I felt unnaturally excited. **(yeah I know it's OOC) **I'd even had a few dreams about him asking me to the dance. Everyone has always thought Gale and I would end up together but Gale's just a friend. But so was Peeta…right?

School went by agonizingly slow. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang. I ran to throw my book in my locker then headed for the locker room. Once there I donned my uniform and went to round up my team.

We warmed up on the field **(?) **while the other team practiced in the gym.

"Ready Catnip?" I heard behind me as I lined up my next shot. Before answering I let my arrow fly, getting a perfect bull's-eye.

"Gale! Don't talk to me when I'm shooting!" I scolded him

"Oh calm down, you never miss" he said

"I miss sometimes and you shouldn't distract someone who is shooting!"

"Ok I won't jeez. Come on the competition is about to start." As he spoke he pointed towards the gym and I saw the other team walking out.

Both teams' first few shooters did ok. They mostly shot in the 5th and 6th rings with an occasional 4th or 7th. Soon it was Gale's turn.

Gale did very well. He got a few bull's-eyes and the rest were in the red rings. He finished and came over to give me a high five.

The other team's captain was up and he was good. Half of his shots were bull's-eyes and the other half was in the ninth ring at least. He shot his last arrow then gave me a smirk and whispered; "Good luck, you'll need it" so only I could hear. That made me even more determined to beat him.

I took my first shot which landed in the eighth ring.

"Pretty good, for a girl" he laughed. That made me MAD. I can't stand sexist people who think all girls can do is sit around and look pretty.

I quickly shot the rest of my arrows, one after the other, hardly looking at the targets. I was just so angry!

I lowered my bow to see everyone's mouth hanging open. I took my first look at the targets and saw that every single one (minus my first shot) was a bull's eye.

I walked up to the other team's captain and smirked, "Close your mouth, you might catch flies" then whistled a shrill four note tune, signaling for the rest of the team to follow me.

We were walking back towards the locker rooms when we heard a scream. I whipped around and saw a tall, strong looking man grabbing a little girl. The team was frozen in shock. This girl reminded me so much of Prim. I quickly snapped out of my shocked state and loaded my bow. I focused carefully, not wanting to hit the girl, and shot him, hitting the hand he had covering the girl's mouth. He howled in pain and instinctually let go of her. I sank another arrow into his right calf and he fell to the ground. Then I ran over and shot his left foot to prevent him from escaping.

"Gale go get some help!" I shouted over my shoulder. Gale turned around and ran back in the direction we had come from. The rest of the team had joined me and surrounded the man, bows loaded. I put down my bow and returned my arrow to the quiver on my back. Slowly, I walked over to the girl who had climbed a tree trying to stay out of reach.

"You can come down now, it's all safe." I said soothingly.

She looked at me for a while then slowly made her descent from the tree. When she reached the ground I crouched down to her level.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Rue" she quietly

"Hi Rue, I'm Katniss. How old are you?"

"I'm 12, you're Prim's sister."

"Yeah I am, is she in your class?" I asked

She nodded.

"Where's your family?"

"They're back at the field." She responded.

"Ok, let's get you back to them." I said.

On the way there we met Gale, who was on his way with Rue's family and two school security guards that Snow called "Peacekeepers". Rue's mom ran over and picked her up, hugging and kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

"Thank you so much" Rue's father told me.

"No problem, I'm just glad she's not hurt." I said truthfully.

Gale and I walked to the locker rooms in silence before splitting off to different locker rooms.

When I left the locker room I was greeted by a crowd of my classmates congratulating me on the win and saving Rue. I looked around for the tall blonde haired boy I'd been thinking about so much lately. I didn't see him anywhere. I was disappointed. I scolded myself for being upset that Peeta wasn't waiting for me. Why should he? It's not like we were dating or anything. We barely even talked to each other.

I was lost in thought when I walked through the front door of the school and felt a hand on my shoulder. Out of instinct, I brought my elbow back, hard.

"Ow!" I heard a man's voice say.

I spun around and saw Peeta, doubled over and holding his side.

"Oh my God, Peeta I'm sorry! You surprised me." I cried

"It's ok" he said straightening up, "I was gonna ask you, uh, can I, eh, walk you home?"

I smiled, "Sure, I'd like that."

He took my gym bag holding my archery stuff and we were on our way. For a while we just walked in silence but we soon slipped into an easy, comfortable conversation. It was really nice being with Peeta. He didn't treat me like one of the boys (cough, Gale, cough) but he also didn't treat me like I was a helpless stupid little girl.

When I got home I found Prim sitting at the window.

"Who's that?" she asked innocently.

"That's Peeta, you know him. He's on the football team." I had taken Prim to the last few football games and she had enjoyed it.

"Oh, so _that's_ Peeta" she said in a mysterious tone.

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing. I have homework to do, bye!" and with that she skipped off to her room, leaving me utterly confused.

**a/n Awwww Katniss has a crush see ya next time! (not really cuz I can't see you people**


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Finnick's POV (yay)**

Tuesday at lunch the Victors had a meeting.

"I think Katniss should become a Victor" Johanna said. I was shocked, I was pretty sure Johanna hated Katniss Everdeen.

"I agree" I stated

"No" Cashmere hissed.

"Why not?" I asked

"I don't like her!" Cashmere huffed.

"Let's just vote" Gloss said

"Fine, all in favor of Katniss joining the Victors raise your hand." Johanna ordered

Johanna, Annie, and I all raised our hands.

"All in favor of her NOT joining raise your hand" she continued.

Gloss and Cashmere shot their hands into the air.

"Enobaria, you didn't vote" Annie said quietly.

"I don't care, let her join" she said.

"Then it's settled, she's joining." Johanna announced, "Finnick you know what to do."

I grinned; I love the playful hazing that comes with becoming a new Victor.

**Skip Swim Meet**

We won, as expected. I picked Annie up and twirled her around. I loved her, I loved being able to hold her. My happiness was short lived. A group of Capitol girls were on their way over.

Unfortunately for me and Annie, we couldn't be together. Her parents don't approve of me plus I'm expected to be the school playboy.

I saw Katniss leaving the pool area and quickly followed her before the girls could see me.

Let the hazing begin.

As I passed the main office I grabbed some candy from the secretary's desk. I found Katniss at her locker and, still wearing the speedo necessary for competitive swimming, snuck up behind her.

"Hello Katniss" I whispered in her ear.

She jumped then turned around, giving me a once over.

"Hello Finnick"

"Want a piece of candy?" I asked in my usual seductive purr that made girls go crazy, "They're supposed to be for the teachers but they're paid to be here. You and I…well we deserve something sweet once in a while." It bothered me how naturally this all came to me.

"No thanks, I'd love to borrow you're outfit sometime" she replied

I smiled, "I'm glad you like it" I said getting WAY too close to her. I pushed her up against her locker. I could hear her quick intake of breath and felt her heart speed up.

"You were great yesterday at the archery completion." I said, "You could get anything you want with a bow and arrow, jewels, money, anything."

She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself I assumed.

"I don't like jewels so much, what about you Finnick?" she asked

"Oh I don't deal with things like money and jewels often" I whispered in her ear.

"How do all those girls catch your attention then?" she asked.

"With secrets," I purred, "What about you Katniss? What kinds of secrets do you have?" I asked as I started to kiss her neck. Her heart rate spiked and she didn't answer me.

"What's the matter Katniss, do you find this…distracting?"

"Er, I'm an open book. People seem to know my secrets before I know them myself" she sputtered.

"Unfortunately, I think that's true" I said. I brushed my lips over hers and walked away. As I turned the corner I saw her with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

Like I said, hazing is always fun.

**Katniss POV**

I stood there dumbfounded after Finnick left. _What just happened?_ I kept thinking. My thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"What did Finnick Odair want?" Peeta asked.

I pushed him against the lockers and wrapped my arms around his neck. Getting close enough to his face that if we moved we would be kissing (like Finnick had) I did my best Finnick impression.

"He offered me candy and wanted to know all my secrets"

"Really?" he asked

"Yup, I'll tell you more when i stop freaking out." We laughed then realized we were still really close. I unwound my arms and backed up.

"Are you going home now?" Peeta asked me.

"No I have to find my friend." I wanted to tell Gale about what had happened. "I'll see you tomorrow though" I said brightly.

He left and I turned around to see Gale a few yards away, eyes huge.

"Hey Gale!" I said as I walked up to him.

"You and the jockstrap seem to be pretty close" he said moodily

"Gale, be nice, we're friends. Plus you're a jock too!" I defended Peeta

"Whatever" Gales said, "I have to get the kids, bye"

Gale had a lot of siblings to take care of. He stomped off leaving me curious about why he was mad.

I left soon after that. I waved to Peeta in the bakery when I passed it then went home.


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Katniss' POV**

**Thursday**

It was interview day and I was bored as hell. I didn't really pay attention to the other interviews. I just sat backstage and waited. (The interviews are filmed on the school's stage) Soon it was my turn. I walked onstage wearing the beautiful orange shimmery dress Cinna had made me and my lucky Mockingjay pin Madge gave me. As the stage lights hit my dress I looked like I was on fire, it was amazing.

I sat down on the chair facing Caesar Flickerman, the host.

"Hello Katniss" he said in a friendly manner.

"Hi" I replied.

"So you're captain of the archery team?" he asked

"Yeah" he was gonna have to try harder than this if he wanted more than a one word answer.

"When did you learn to shoot a bow and arrow?"

"My dad taught me when I was about 10 **(a/n idk the real age she learned at) **right before he died." I said thoughtfully. I thought of my dad constantly, especially when I was shooting. When I was younger he would take me into the woods to practice like I do now with Gale.

"I'm so sorry. Who else is in your family?" Caesar asked looking sympathetic.

"My mother and my little sister, Prim, she's 12"

"That's a beautiful dress you're wearing, who made it?"

"My friend, Cinna designed it, he's amazing." I said truthfully

"Yes he is, it looks like you're on fire, just like you were at your archery competition." Caesar said, "What's on your pin?"

"It's a mockingjay; they were my dad's favorite bird so my friend, Madge, gave it to me last year." I couldn't help remembering being in the woods with my dad. He taught me that mockingjays will repeat any tune you sing or whistle to them.

We talked awkwardly for a few more minutes.

"So Katniss, do you have a boyfriend?"

I blushed, thinking of Peeta. I didn't know why he kept coming into my thoughts!

"Um, no" I said feeling uncomfortable.

"What about your co-captain on the archery team? I've heard you spend a lot of time together." Caesar said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, Gale is my best friend. We've known each other since I was 11. He's like my older brother." I said

"Well that's all the time we have, good talking to you Katniss!" Caesar said cheerfully

"Uh, same" I lied.

I walked off stage, giving Peeta a quick smile as we passed each other. He was the last captain to be interviewed.

**Peeta's POV**

**Katniss' interview**

I watched the screen backstage carefully as Katniss took her seat with Caesar. She looked striking. She was wearing an orange dress, which happened to be my favorite color. When the light hit it she looked like she was on fire, it was beautiful.

As the interview went on it looked like her discomfort was growing. When Caesar asked her if she had a boyfriend she turned red. After a few moments she answered no. That made me happy; it seemed I didn't have any competition. Then he asked her about Gale Hawthorne. How could I have forgotten about him? Why would she choose me when she had him? He was handsome, older, and clearly in love with her. At least, it was clear to everyone but Katniss. Then she said the best thing I'd ever heard,

"He's like my older brother."

That just about made my day. Caesar wrapped up his interview with Katniss then it was my turn. As I passed Katniss walking onstage she gave me a small smile which I returned. I took the seat that had previously been filled by Katniss and greeted Caesar.

"Hello Peeta!"


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Peeta's POV**

"When did you start playing football Peeta?" Caesar asked me.

"Well I grew up with two older brothers who played, so, basically since I was big enough to tackle without hurting…much." I joked smoothly. Speaking came naturally to me. I'm often told that I'm good with words. It's pretty true I guess.

Caesar laughed, "Tell me about your brothers"

"My oldest brother, Jason, graduated last year. He was quarterback when he went here so the position opened up when he left and I took it. My other brother is Conrad. He's a senior this year and a linebacker. I don't think he's too happy that his little brother is captain."

We bantered back and forth for a while until he was down to his last question.

"So Peeta, you're pretty good looking, do you have a girlfriend?" he asked.

"Whoa Caesar! We just met!" I joked. He laughed good naturedly

"Haha, really though, is there someone special you want to tell me about?" he asked

I knew this was coming. I already knew what I was going to say. I planned to finally reveal my crush on Katniss. If Noah knew my plan he would kill me saying I'd embarrass myself too much.

"Well, there is this one girl…" I started

"Oooh" Caesar said leaning in.

"I've had a huge crush on her since she was 5 and I was 6"

"Oh a younger woman" he waggled his eyebrows.

"We don't talk much though"

The crowd "awed"

"Why wouldn't she want to date a nice guy like you? Plus you're captain of the football team! It looks like you're gonna win Panem High Sports Week too."

"Winning won't help me. It would probably make her mad." I said.

"Oh so she's on one of the teams?"

"She's a captain"

"Let me guess, you're going for the classic football captain head cheerleader couple" he said jokingly.

I heard Vanda Sale, head cheerleader, swoon. I wasn't interested in her though. She was annoying, vain, and Capitol.

"No, actually, I'm not." I smirked.

"Well, come on tell me! I'm dying to know."

"It's…Katniss Everdeen."

It felt good to have that weight off my chest. That is, until I saw Katniss coming my way.


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Peeta's POV**

Katniss made her way over to me looking serious.

"Katniss, can I just explain?" I asked worriedly as she approached me. She wasn't like other girls, she wouldn't be afraid to hit me or something.

"When we were younger I heard you singing and I fell in love with you at first sight. Then I actually got to know you a little and it made my feelings stronger…" I quickly recounted the past 11 years of my crush.

She stared at me for a while.

"Katniss? Please say something. I mean, I understand if you don't feel the same wa-" I was cut off by her lips.

"I think I've been falling for you since the beginning of the year" she told me in a very unKatniss-like way.

I stood in shock for a few moments. Katniss laughed at what I'm sure was a very funny face. She took my hand in hers and started towing me along.

"Come on, let's stop by our lockers and get out of here." She laughed

Line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line line

**Gale's POV**

After the interviews and Peeta's sickening confession, I saw him and Katniss at their lockers. She was smiling at him. Then, to my horror, they both leaned in and kissed. I saw red.

I walked right behind Peeta as Katniss walked away. When he turned around I landed a punch on his face. I caught him off guard and he fell. His annoying friend, Noah, caught him and pushed him back up. I always assumed Mellark was a peaceful, antiviolence kind of guy. Boy was I wrong. He punched me in the stomach, hard. I, reflexively, bent over and he punched my eye. I could tell it was gonna give me a pretty good shiner. I fell to the ground. I jumped up and was about to throw another punch when Katniss came back.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" she screamed, "Peeta we're leaving!"

She spun on her heel and walked out the doors. Peeta looked like he was thinking about punching me again but his friend stopped him.

"Come on dude," Noah said, "She's already mad"

Mellark scowled at me then ran to catch up with Katniss.

_Great _I thought _Now Katniss is going with Mellark __**AND **__she's mad at me._

**A/n sorry for the short chapter**


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

**Katniss's POV**

After I flipped out on Gale, Peeta and I went for a walk.

"Sorry" he apologized.

"It wasn't your fault, Gale attacked you first." I sighed. "I don't know why he'd do that."

Peeta took my hand in his as we walked.

"Really? You have no idea?" he said in a sarcastic voice.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Katniss, the guy has been in love with you almost as long as I have!" he laughed, "Almost!" he repeated.

"That's crazy, we're best friends but that's it." I insisted. "Besides I have you" I blushed. **(Yeah I know she's really OOC)**

"Um, I know this is REALLY short notice, but do you um, want to go to homecoming…with me?" he asked nervously.

"I'd love to." The words were out of my mouth before I gave it any thought.

He smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Peeta walked me home and I invited him in.

"Katniss" Prim called when she heard the door. "I saw the interview with the guy from that walked you home-" she stopped when she reached the front room and noticed we had a guest.

"Prim, this is Peeta, Peeta this is my sister Prim." I said. She blushed, obviously embarrassed.

"Hi Prim" Peeta waved.

"Hi" she said timidly, "I like the cakes at your bakery."

"Thanks! I decorate all of them!" he said. I didn't know that.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, you should come over sometime, I'll show you how and you can decorate your own cake." He offered. He was so good with people. It didn't matter what age he was very charismatic.

"Can I Katniss?" she asked. She was giving me her big pleading blue eyes thing which she knew I couldn't resist.

"Of course." I smiled.

"Katniss, Prim?" I was surprised to hear my mother up and about, "Who's this?" she asked when she reached us.

"Hello Mrs. Everdeen, I'm Peeta Mellark." He held out his hand to her. She looked at it for a moment then shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Peeta. Would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea?" Mother asked.

"Thank you very much, but I should probably be getting home. I have to take my shift at the bakery." He declined politely.

"Maybe next time." She smiled.

"Good-bye Mrs. Everdeen, Prim."

"I'll walk you out." I offered.

Outside we kissed quickly and said good bye. I watched as Peeta walked back towards the town part of District 12. When I turned around I saw Prim watching me through the window.

"He seems like a nice boy." My mother commented.

"Yeah, he is." I smiled fondly.

**A/n Sorry it's so short! I have misplaced my notebook. I'll update as soon as I find it.**


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